Health care providers are encountering a significant increase in cases of mycobacterial infections. Many of these new cases are related to the AIDS epidemic. Physicians rely on clinical microbiologists to assist then in diagnosing a mycobacterial infection. The diagnosis of such infections is, however, largely dependent on acid-fast staining and cultivation of the organism, followed by biochemical assays. These are time consuming processes. Hence, there is a continuing need for new, and particularly rapid, methods of diagnosing mycobacterial infections.